Tag Archives: Colony Collapse Disorder

A new initiative, spearheaded by Berkeley’s Edible Schoolyard Project, aims to put beehives in the city’s three middle schools by next spring.

King Middle School’s one-acre garden, home to the Edible Schoolyard, has already jumped in having acquired a hive of Russian bees six weeks ago, under a program the organizers named Bee Experimental Education in Schools (BEES).

Queen of the Sun’s arresting first image — that of a young woman covered with hundreds, if not thousands, of honey bees — provided a clue. A quick rifle through the tubes of the internets revealed more: placing a queen bee in a cage and hanging it around your neck will attract her friends and family, who will land on your face and upper torso, thus creating a beard effect. This, it seems, has been going on for both fun and profit since the 1700s.

The film is, however, concerned with something a little more serious than this somewhat outré hobby: the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, the still not fully understood phenomenon that has decimated bee populations throughout North America and Europe over the past few years. Bees pollinate approximately 40% of the food we eat; without them, mass starvation is all but guaranteed (unless, of course, Soylent Green finally becomes a viable source of nutrients). … Continue reading »